North American Butterflies and Moths List

The definitive website on wildbirds & nature

Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Nebraska

Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna)

Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna [W. H. Edwards])

Wing span: 1 1/16 - 1 1/2 inches (2.7 - 3.9 cm).

Identification: Wings are black or blackish brown. Upperside of
male forewing has a large transparent white spot below the end of
the black stigma and several other spots above and below it.
Female forewing has a transparent square spot at the end of the
cell. Underside of both sexes is black, sometimes with a purple
sheen, and often has a few distinct pale spots.

Life history: Males perch on low vegetation in sunny clearings to
wait for females; courtship usually occurs around noon.
Caterpillars eat leaves and live in shelters of rolled or tied
leaves.

Flight: One brood from mid-June to early August in the north; two
broods from April to September in the south.

Caterpillar hosts: Purpletop (Tridens flavus).

Adult food: Nectar from white, pink, and purple flowers is
preferred, including dogbane, selfheal, peppermint, joe-pye weed,
and common and swamp milkweeds. Yellow flowers are visited when
others are unavailable.

Habitat: Moist places near shaded wood edges.

Range: Central New England west to central Nebraska; south to
northern Florida, the Gulf Coast, and South Texas.

Conservation: Not usually required.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure
globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range,
especially at the periphery.